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Why ‘ER Units’ are needed around the world

Humanity can no longer affordto sit, watch and blame governments or corporations while our planet is being destroyed. We MUST ALL take EMERGENCY Recovery Actions around the world or loose it all.

Like a beautiful Lotus that grows out of the stinking mud in dark waters, so too will
‘ER Units’ – ‘EARTH RECOVERY Units’ – grow out of the despair and concern of people around the world for a viable planet.

Please help co-create an ‘ER Unit’ in YOUR Village/ Neighborhood/ Town/ Country. The aim is to get people to work together for 2 COMMON GOALS:

You can do this by implementing the 3 Rs: RETHINK – RE-PLAN – RESTORE.

Let us start to consciously and joyously co-create a planet in which people CARE and PROTECT its land and waters for the COMMON GOOD.

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What is an ‘ER Unit’?

An ‘ER Unit’ is a group of adults and children, that can be formed anywhere and at any time.

Rather than feeling powerless and hopeless, people CAN get together in ‘ER Units’ and DO projects that ENHANCE their standard of living and simultaneously help RESTORE the areas where they live.

It is recommended to involve the children, butnot as child labour. Rather, to teach children sustainable principles of living, to cultivate in their young hearts and minds a sense of responsibility for the Earth, and to foment an altruistic sense of cooperation with others for the common good.

It is also important to create a sense of fun and joy of communal work for the benefit of all.

Please read our ‘ER Units’ Brochure.

Feel FREE to Download , PRINT and DISTRIBUTE this brochure.

ER Units – Brochure-p.1

ER Units – Brochure-p.2

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What kind of projects can the ‘ER Units’ do?

ER Units are about the community members getting involved in the management of the areas where they reside. Rather than leaving all decisions to local government officials, people are encouraged to take an active role in the management of their locality. In other words, it’s about people taking their lives and places of residence into their own hands. The most productive way is to create a NEW system of cooperation between the community members, as well as, between them and the local government.

No longer is the local government allowed by the community to dictate and impose developments or projects without prior Consultation. This has been happening because communities have allowed it to happen. However, if communities kindly offer to also take responsibility for their neighborhood or village and its surrounding area, local governments are more likely to want to cooperate with the people.

Arrangements can be made with local government to provide the ER Units with:

a) A small amount of funding in exchange for free labour by community members (dollar for dollar);
b) Supply the materials for community projects (i.e. building materials, tools or plants);and,
c) Provide technical assistance in some cases – such as in water quality monitoring and fisheries surveys.

However, in order to avoid red tape and too much local government involvement, it is better to have the community act on its projects with or without the local government input, as much as possible.

Community members will have to provide their time and work for FREE, and probably provide materials too.

It is important to keep in mind that: whatever the ER Units do is for the BENEFIT OF ALL.
So effectively, people are INVESTING in their future and their children’s.

People are to participate in these ER Units because they WANT to ENHANCE their living conditions, because they want to REPAIR and HONOUR the Earth and waters in the areas they live in. By doing so, people effectively honour themselves.

Working together gives people a sense of ownership and empowerment, and the rewards are many.

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Types of ER Unit Projects

ER Projects depend on the ecological and social issues in each locality. Therefore, the ER projects can only be set by the Community members, and could be done according to the level of urgency in solving serious problems. On saying this, the ER Units can embark in short, middle and/or longer term projects to maintain the momentum, the interest and the cohesiveness of the Unit.

The following examples of projects are always useful in all localities and can include:

Reviewing local council development plans and sharing the information with the community. To do this you can ask university students or local NGOs for assistance.

Organizing Community Meetings to discuss problematic issues or developments that affect the community.

Requesting Community participation in local government decisions. To do this you can ask university students or local NGOs for assistance.

Requesting funds to purchase materials (or plants) for projects from local government or international Aid agencies. To do this you can ask university students or local NGOs for assistance.

Clean Up Days – Garbage removal from: common areas, rivers, streams or beaches.

Building storm-water runoff channels – to reduce flooding near houses or paddocks.

Creation of Community Gardens – to grow food to be shared for all – in a neighborhood, a village or in suburban built-in areas.

Creation of ‘Permaculture farms‘ (organic agricultural complex ecosystems) – to RESTORE the quality of the land and ENHANCE its productivity. Hence, to provide food for all – in common land. This scheme is particularly useful for Communities that have been relocated by the creation of Hydropower Dams or other government projects, and who been offered barren or poor quality land in compensation, such as in India, Laos and Cambodia.

Monitoring water quality (i.e. taking water samples from bores, creeks or rivers and delivering these samples to the authorities for analysis).

Monitoring fisheries catches.

Building a Community Hall or School.

Dob-in a polluter.

Dob-in illegal loggers, etc.

People in each ER Unit could get together for a “Working Bee” – a working session, twice a month or as often as it’s suitable to the group. In a few months, people will be able to share meals from their Community Gardens or Permaculture farms.

Permaculture is a combination of a self-maintaining, wholistic, long-term approach to sustainable organic food production (free of toxic chemicals), water storage, husbandry, aquaculture, forestry, ethical living, and more. It has general principles, but it must be designed and adapted to the local conditions, cultivating native species, etc. Hence, Permaculture farms require careful research and planning prior to starting them, and ‘team work’ to ensure a most productive long-lasting ecologically sound system.

For assistance in the design and construction of aPermaculturefarm, ER Units can:

Send the smartest local youths to get a ‘Diploma in Permaculture‘ -to the nearest Permaculture Institute (in Australia, USA, Brazil, or others throughout the world). So these youth can come back to design the Permaculture Farm to suit the local conditions and teach others how to do it.

Get people to come help you set it up throughWWOOF(Willing Workers in Organics Farms).

Create a mini-self-banking system for self-reliance. And, seek funding from local government, NGOs and International Aid Agencies.

Below is also a link to a series of 40 videos by Bill Mollison the founder of Permaculture and by his main friend, in all sorts of subjects related to Permaculture, includes many amusing and fascinating stories.

Publications

It's not just about the Dam #collapse and the devastating #floods that left so many dead and over 16,000 impacted in Laos & Cambodia - at a point in time.

It's the #long_term #consequences of such impacts, which Dam Developers and the Laos & Cambodian governments MUST take into consideration -> BEFORE allowing any more Dam construction in the Mekong Basin!!! And ENSURING people receive the appropriate #compensation to be able to start again!!

Excerpt from article below:

"The Worst of the Flooding"

"The dam collapsed on July 23 and released 5 billion cubic meters of water. The floods washed away hundreds of homes in Attapeu province and killed up to 30 people. Hundreds of people went missing in the floods and more than 6,600 people were displaced.

Overall, it’s estimated that as many as 16,000 people were affected by the floods in the Attapeu province and Cambodia.

Entire villages, roads, bridges, and homes have been destroyed and washed away. Many people have lost all their possessions.

“But the real tragedy in it is… that all of their rice fields and their harvest area has been destroyed,” World Mission’s Greg Kelley says.

“Although they didn’t die and there were no fatalities during the initial flooding, it makes the ongoing ability to survive, it just puts a matter of [people in a] very delicate place. And right now, they need help. They need help because there are thousands of people that are at risk right now.”

Without crops and animals, which have been drowned in the floods, people no longer have a way to support themselves.

20 #Cambodian NGOs will boycott the Mekong River Committee (MRC) forum planned over 2 days at the end of this month aimed at "allowing discussions" on the Development of more #Hydropower Dams in the Mekong River. (As if people's wants and needs would make any difference...)

Remember the very publicized promise by #Laos that it would #delay any Dams until the case of the collapsed Xe Pian Xe Namnoy Dam was properly investigated? I remind the readers we predicted this wouldn't happen for #planned Dams or those in #construction... We were right!

Laos is #outraged about the open forum and any delays to its plan to go ahead with the construction of the #Pak_Lay Dam and another one. The Laos National Mekong Committee explained that "the Pak Lay hydropower dam is not a #new project" 😨😌

Read full article below.

"The floodwaters of the Mekong River have begun to recede across the country, but concerns remain over damage caused in Stung Treng and Kratie provinces.

The Mekong River Committee (MRC) plans to hold an open forum this month on the development of hydropower dams along the river. However, 20 NGOs in the Kingdom have said they will boycott the event.

Waters were particularly catastrophic this year after the collapse of the Xe Pian Xe Namnoy hydropower dam located near the Kingdom’s border with Laos.

The dam, which cost an estimated $1.02 billion, was a project undertaken by a South Korean company.

After the collapse, tens of thousands of hectares of crops and residential land were inundated, displacing 50,000 families.

Morn claimed that 50 per cent of his cashew nut plantation was completely damaged.

“My family and I, along with some villagers, left home for safer ground on the hills because the waters were rising very quickly. We brought only important items and two pigs. We left 20 ducks there. They drowned that night."

“We have really never experienced such a flood before and I do not want to see this terrible event happen again,” Morn said.

Boycott called

He appealed to the authorities not to allow any more dams to be built along the Mekong. He said biodiversity and the livelihoods of those living along the river would be impacted.

Nonetheless, his appeal could fall on deaf ears, as the MRC had recently announced it will lead a discussion in the Lao capital about proposals for two new hydropower dams in the region.

An announcement issued by the committee last month said the forum will take place over two days near the end of this month.

A group of 20 environmental NGOs responded to the announcement by saying they will boycott the forum unless the projects are delayed.

Mok Bunthoeun an official at the NGO Forum, said after the collapse of Xe Pian Xe Namnoy, the Laos government called for further dam projects to be delayed until the collapse is investigated fully.

“The Laos National Mekong Committee explained that the Pak Lay hydropower dam is not a new project, but we think that the regional discussion forum should be delayed."

“The Mekong Committee should reply formally to our request for an explanation over the impact of the previous hydropower dam or else we will not attend the forum,” Bunthoeun said.

Meanwhile, National Committee for Disaster Management spokesman Keo Vy agreed that the forum should be delayed to next month while the collapse of Xe Pian Xe Namnoy is investigated.

“It will not be late even if we delay the regional discussion forum to next month. However, experts of the MRC and relevant parties should make the decision,” he said.

But the committee hasn’t given any indication that the forum will be delayed.

The floodwaters of the Mekong River have begun to recede across the country, but concerns remain over damage caused in Stung Treng and Kratie provinces. The Mekong River Committee (MRC) plans to hold an open forum this month on the development of hydropower dams along the river. However, 20 NGOs in....

The Global Climate Action Summit, taking place from Wednesday, Sept. 12, to Friday, Sept. 14, 2018 in San Francisco, will bring leaders and people together from around the world to “Take Ambition to the Next Level.” Follow us on Twitter: @GCAS2018

According to fishermen & villagers we #interviewed in February 2016, from Laos to Cambodia, dwindling fish stocks were already a frightening reality since the construction of the #Xayabury Dam in Laos. The decrease in fish catches had been felt and compounded by the construction of many Dams in #tributaries in Laos, by the #DonSahong Dam in Laos/border with Cambodia, and by the #LowerSesan2 Dam in a main tributary in NE Cambodia...

Since then, many Hydropower Dams have been built and dozens more are under construction in #Laos, with plans for 170 more dams.

Hence, the Mekong River ecosystem is in extreme peril, as are the Food & Water Security for 60 Million people in the Lower Mekong Basin...

The #collapse of the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy Dam in July 2018, which left over 6,000 Laotians homeless and affected tens of thousands in Cambodia, hasn't changed any Dam construction plans in either country... 😰

Construction of dams in Laos is threatening the livelihood of fishermen, like these shown in the southern Mekong region of Champasak.

The tiny Southeast Asian nation of Laos champions itself as "the battery of Southeast Asia," exporting hydroelectricity to its neighbors as it seeks to exit the ranks of least developed countries.

But developing hydropower -- Laos' major national industry -- is threatening the numerous fishing villages that line the Mekong River, which are seeing fish stocks dwindle as new dams spring up.

In the village of Nakasang on the southern banks of the river, a forty-seven-year-old Moai Chai Leopas sighed. "Since they began making the dam, the fish have been disappearing," she said, referring to the Don Sahong Dam project. "If things continue like this, we won't have enough money to send our children to school."

Laos has hoped to exploit its mountain ranges to produce and sell hydroelectricity. But as dam projects proceed, the country is being forced to rethink its priorities: #electricity or #fish?

It appears the latter are losing.

Construction of Don Sahong Dam in the Mekong Basin, overseen by Malaysia-based Mega First, is proceeding rapidly. When completed in 2019, the facility is expected to generate 2028 gigawatts of power annually.

Don Sahong Dam. Completion of the dam is scheduled for 2019.
Rumors of dwindling fish stocks began to surface in 2016, soon after construction by China's state-owned Sinohydro kicked off. "It became so hard to make a living that some people went to Thailand to find work," Moai Chai said.

Diminishing stocks have also driven fish prices up. "Before [construction], even an expensive batch of fish was about 40,000 kip per kilogram ($4.72). Now, it's more than twice that," noted a thirty-year-old driver in the village.

The fish shortage is being felt nationwide. Laos is a landlocked country, and its cuisine centers around fish from the Mekong. Champasak Province -- where Dong Sahong is being built -- is famous for its delicately fragranced fish, which eventually find their way from Nakasang to cities and towns throughout the country via the regional capital of Pakse.

"Freshwater fish from the Mekong is a vital ingredient in Laotian cuisine," according to Taku Mori of Japan-Laos Creative Partners.

New dams also threaten the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin. Mekong Watch, a nongovernmental organization, recently warned that Dong Sahong was "having a negative and irreversible effect" on the environment.

Still, hydroelectric plants are multiplying in Laos, driven by foreign investment from electricity-hungry countries like Thailand and China.

By 2024, Laos aims to have weaned itself from the United Nation's least developed country list on the back of industries that earn foreign currency. With no significant sectors other than some mining exports, Laos is depending on selling electricity. The Ministry of Energy and Mines plans to build 159 new hydropower generators by 2030.

The country's ambitions suffered a setback after a huge dam collapse in late July in the southern province of Attapeu. The failure of the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy Dam destroyed villages and left around 6,000 people homeless in a disaster that forced the government to investigate construction flaws and review safety standards.

But the review is less likely to address the effects of dams on the environment and food culture, and any construction projects underway are unlikely to be halted.

The #Pak_Lay Dam is the 4th Dam planned on the #mainstream of the #Mekong River in #Laos. Fascinating how the Mekong River Commision opened the "Prior Consultation Process" for this new Dam, only ONE DAY AFTER the Laotian government announced a #suspension of all new #hydropower projects -following the collapse of the Xe Pian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower Dam...😱😠

" "Save the Mekong", a coalition of non-governmental organizations, community-based groups and concerned citizens within the Mekong region, issued a #statement on Friday announcing their intention to #boycott the Mekong River Commission’s (MRC’s) Prior Consultation for the proposed Pak Lay dam."

"Prior Consultation is a requirement of the 1995 Mekong Agreement for countries jointly to review any development project proposed for the mainstream Mekong, with an aim to reach an agreement on whether or not it should proceed, and if so, under what conditions."

"The Save the Mekong coalition is boycotting the Pak Lay Prior Consultation because serious and outstanding concerns regarding each of the mainstream dams that have undergone the process to date – the Xayaburi, Don Sahong and Pak Beng dams – remain unresolved."

"Furthermore, the Pak Lay Prior #Consultation began just one day after the Laotian government announced a #suspension of new hydropower projects in the wake of the tragic Xe Pian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower project disaster in Attapeu, southern Laos."

Goes to show the Laos government is going at full throttle with its plans for many Dams (120 Dams in tributaries). This is despite the dire consequences of the Dam collapse recently experienced ...😠💀💀💀

Share on Facebook Follow on Facebook Add to Google+ Connect on Linked in Subscribe by Email Print This Post CHIANG RAI – Save the Mekong, a coalition of non-governmental organizations, community-based groups and concerned citizens within the Mekong region, issued a statement on Friday announcin...

I had missed this very important news.
Formosa Steel, was already #fined millions of dollars for the massive #pollution of its #toxic_waste that lead to a huge #fish_kill and pollution of hundreds of kilometres of coastline and aquaculture farms.

Yet, they go ahead #again and try to #cheat the system by burying 100 tons of #toxic mud... WTH?? It's #irresponsible companies like this that should be #shut_down for the safety of people and environment!!!

"Investigators are looking at how and why 100 tons of waste from Formosa's steel factory found it's way onto a farm in Ha Tinh.
Ha Tinh authorities have found that the Urban Environment Company (UEC) in Ky Anh District was responsible for burying over 100 tons of industrial waste released by Formosa Ha Tinh Steel – the culprit behind Vietnam’s recent mass fish kills.

UEC only specializes in providing conventional waste-treatment services. Ha Tinh's Department of Natural Resources and Environment said the contract between FHS and UEC to treat conventional waste would have been fine, but the deal to treat 100 tons of black mud since the beginning of April was a violation."